At Fairfield Oaks each person running for president of the senior class had to pick a slate of people to run for the other offices. Each person on the slate campaigned separately but students’ votes would be for the whole ticket, the thinking being that popular students were chosen by the presidential candidates to bolster their chances of winning. Evidently, my being on the ticket wouldn’t help Jay.
****
All the lawyers were gone. Dad was in his study. I moved a stack of papers from the chair in front of his desk and slumped down into it.
“I’m sorry,” I said, hoping he would know I was apologizing for screaming at him.
“Kitten, you have nothing to apologize for,” Dad said, strain showing on his face. “I’m the one who needs to apologize for what this situation is doing to our family.”
I looked at my feet. They couldn’t keep still, moving involuntarily from side to side, then back to the front under Dad’s desk.
“What’s going on?” Dad asked.
“You have always told me to never give up on anything?”
He nodded.
“I don’t want to run for treasurer. I’m already getting nasty e-mails, and it’s just too much.”
“Lauren, it’s all right. You and I both know that you aren’t a quitter. If you don’t want to run, you don’t have to.”
“I didn’t want to let you down.”
“You should always do what is best for you. Don’t worry about letting me down.”
“Thanks Dad.”
I sat there not knowing how to bring this other thing up.
Dad’s eyes bore into mine, as if he could see my soul.
“What else is going on?”
“I miss Mom. I miss walking with her in the park in the mornings. She’s either cooking or in bed.”
“Your mother is having a hard time. We need to give her some space. This has really been difficult for her.”
“But she doesn’t go out of the house anymore!”
“I know,” he said. “We need to be understanding and give her some slack. She’ll be all right.”
“OK, Dad.”
I went back to my room. There was no use talking to him about Mom. He didn’t understand how much I needed her.
13
She was waiting for me in the parking lot. In my car! I pulled Mom’s Mercedes into my regular spot beside hers. I wanted her to go on about her business. Instead, she just sat there, waiting for me to get out.
Callie entered the lot, followed shortly by Melanie and Stacie. I waited until they were near my car before getting out.
Steffy took this moment to also alight from her car. “How do you like my new wheels?” she said, smugness written all over her face. “Dad says this car was brought in a little while ago as a fire sale.”
Callie said, “You didn’t have to drive it. You know this is Lauren’s car.”
“It is?” Steffy acted as though it were the biggest surprise in the world.
“A car is a car,” I said, shrugging it off, trying not to make it matter to me.
“I can take you for a ride in it after school. I know you miss it.”
“Leave me alone.”
“Don’t be like that.”
“We’re going to have a smack down!” Melanie said, grabbing Steffy’s arm.
“Leave her alone,” Stacie said, corralling her. “She’s not worth it. She’s trash.”
Steffy’s face turned red. “I am not trash! I belong here as much as you do.”
“My dad isn’t a used car salesman,” I said. “At least my dad bought me a new car. I don’t have to drive cars other people don’t want.”
“Wooooo!” By then a crowd had gathered around. “Fight!”
“Fight!”
“Your dad’s a thief! He takes money from innocent people who trust him.”
Whack!
Before I knew it, I’d slapped her.
She clutched her face in horror.
Jared and Rick stepped from the crowd and ushered Steffy away.
“Who does she think she is?” Callie said. “She should’ve known better. We always have each other’s back.”
I appreciated Callie, Melanie, and Stacie more than ever. I’m sure the crowd was rooting for Steffy. They were ready for us to go at it. I meant for my remark about her driving cars for only a couple of weeks to hurt. She never had her own car. I, at least, had my own car for a while. And now I was driving Mom’s car, which we owned. I didn’t have to change cars every couple of weeks to appear as if I were more than I was. Everybody knew she was a pretender. She wasn’t fooling anybody. The loss of her friendship didn’t matter anymore.
But I didn’t mean to hit her.
The rest of the day I avoided Steffy. If I saw her coming down the hall, I turned and went the other way, even if it took longer to get to my destination.
Mrs. Clancy called me into her office. She had lunch delivered for both of us. She asked me how I was doing and we engaged in small talk about my classes until we had finished eating.
As we discarded our trash, she paused briefly before speaking, a tender touch to her voice.
“I heard about the unpleasantness in the parking lot this morning.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean for it to get out of hand.” I was so embarrassed. Mortified.
Mrs. Clancy looked at me with all her wisdom. “Sometimes things can get heated, even if we don’t want them to. Sometimes it’s best to walk away, even if we run the risk of appearing weak. But sometimes it’s best to let people know that they can’t walk all over us, even if we run the risk of breaking school rules.
“What I really suggest is that you have faith and trust God to fight your battles. From the many confrontations I’ve had with education administrators during my career, I know God will not let your enemies triumph over you. I wouldn’t be principal here if He’d let my enemies win.” Mrs. Clancy smiled.
A weak smile formed on my lips.
“Do you know what I mean?” she asked.
I nodded and stood up. “Thanks for lunch.”
“Sometimes it’s best to take a break from your usual routine and have lunch with the principal.”
“I won’t let it happen again,” I said.
She put an arm around my shoulder and walked me to the door. “You are a fine young lady, Lauren Moffit. Don’t ever forget it.”
Jay was walking with Rick and Jared ahead of me. I ran to catch up.
“Jay, can I talk to you?”
“Sure, what’s up?” He kept walking.
“I need to talk to you about something.”
“Walk with me.”
He could be so infuriating.
Rick and Jared had smirks on their faces. It was obvious Jay had no intention of talking to me without them around.
“I’m not going to run for treasurer,” I said.
“Oh, OK,” he said, relief spreading across his face. “I’ll see if Steffy wants to take your place.”
No protest. No objection. No nothing.
He, Jared, and Rick went on their way.
14
After school, I felt the urge to take my car, Mom’s car, on the road. I needed to get away. It wasn’t like me to have a public argument. That wasn’t me. Steffy infuriated me so. Still, that wasn’t a reason to act lower class. I was ashamed of myself. I wasn’t acting like a Moffit. Still…I had to check her.
I headed east towards Columbia, a bustling college town. Dad had put half a tank of gas in the car when he had used it last night while his car was in the shop. Ordinarily he would have rented a car but said renting would be a waste of money since his car would be ready today. I looked at the gas gauge, remaining steady on the half line indicator. I should have enough gas to get to Columbia and back.
It felt good to get the car on the road. Mainly I wanted to clear my head. Traveling always did that for me. There wasn’t much to see between Kansas City and Columbia except vegetation, trees, and rolling h
ills. Out here on the road, I could forget about my life.
With my iPod playing, the windows down, the sunroof open, my mind moving in all directions but the present, and the brisk air caressing my face, somehow I arrived in Columbia. If I still had my car, I would have the top down. If! If a lot of things.
I passed familiar places I had visited with Callie, Melanie, and Stacie. And Steffy, too, even though I hated to admit it. We would shop, attend movies, and go to the student union on the campus of the University of Missouri.
Being on a university campus was a good place to get lost. Nobody knew me. I walked and walked and walked, mixing and mingling with the students, seeming to be one of them. I browsed in the campus bookstore and stopped for a chocolate concrete mixer in the student union. Tiring of walking, I drove around campus a while, passing the new science complex and new dorms under construction before heading to a new mall that had opened near the interstate.
I browsed around the Barnes & Noble bookstore. This was the first time I had been in Barnes & Noble without buying anything. When I was in elementary school, Mom used to pick me up from school at least once a month, and we went book shopping. Both of us carried armloads of books to the checkout counter. Today I just looked at the new titles and thought about my limited funds.
Being here made me sad, so I went next door to a bistro and had a sandwich and lemonade. Even though I sat alone at my table, there were no eyes looking at me with pity and whispering to their companions. I was totally off everybody’s radar.
My waiter tried to flirt with me. I wondered if he was a college student trying to make some extra money. He could be my prom date. I’m sure it would gross him out if he found out I was still in high school.
It was time to get back to Fairfield. I paid and even left a generous tip. For a moment, I pretended that life hadn’t changed, because nobody knew me here.
At the traffic light before entering the expressway, a panhandler held a sign: Out of Work, Need Food for Family.
I rolled down my window and gave him a couple of dollars. I heard him say, “Thank you very much.” And I saw the relief and thankfulness on his face.
I wished I had more to give him. What struck me about him was that he was a relatively well-dressed, middle–aged man, wearing slacks and a buttoned shirt. He wasn’t scruffy looking. He was clean-shaven.
That man could be Dad standing on the street trying to raise money for food for us. Then a horrible thought struck. That man would never be Dad. Dad would be in prison instead.
If that happened, what would become of me? What would become of Mom?
What’s wrong with me? I had just spent a peaceful evening by myself, and I was thinking of things that might never happen. Reality check.
As I entered the expressway, I realized that I hadn’t called Mom to let her know that I wasn’t coming directly home after school. She hadn’t called me either, which meant that she was also preoccupied with life.
I drove up to my house around nine o’clock. The first thing I noticed was the absence of cars out front. The lawyers and law clerks were usually there until at least ten. Only the security guards were still posted outside.
Dad’s car was gone. Lights on the top floor of our house were out. Only the downstairs hall light was on. I passed my parents’ bedroom. The door was open. Mom was in bed with a carton of ice cream. I grabbed a spoon from the wet bar in their room and crawled into bed with her.
I tried to erase the memory of the middle-aged panhandler from my mind, all the while being fearful that life as I knew it would end real soon.
Mom kissed me on top of my head. It felt good to snuggle with her; I can’t remember the last time we had done so. I put my spoon in the carton and retrieved a big scoop of black walnut ice cream, my favorite.
“Where are the lawyers?” I asked.
“Gone,” Mom said. “They’re finished.”
“Where’s Dad?”
“Out to dinner with the lawyers. They’re treating him tonight. I didn’t want to go.”
“You should’ve gone,” I said.
“Why?” she said. “It’s your Dad’s problem. Let him fix it. Where were you?”
“I drove to Columbia,” I said. “I just felt like driving and driving.”
“I know the feeling,” she said.
“Mom,” I said. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Do you think Dad will clear his name?”
“The lawyers seem to think so.” She paused to eat a scoop of ice cream. “I hope so.”
“What are we going to do if his case has to go to trial?” I asked.
“We’re not going to think about that,” she said. “It can’t happen. You need to focus on your studies and do your best so you can get into a good college. I want you to have a career, something I didn’t have.”
“You used to work in advertising, wasn’t that a career?” I asked.
“But I didn’t keep with it after your father and I got married. It was important for him that I work on charities and be available to host dinners for his colleagues and clients.” She looked at me strangely. “If I had to do it over, I would’ve kept working so I could have something of my own.”
I leaned my head over to her shoulder and she put her arm with the ice cream box around me. “Don’t make the same mistake.”
Signaling she was finished with that topic, she said, “Have you seen Jay?”
“At school. He doesn’t talk to me anymore.”
“Now that’s the kind of man you want to steer clear of,” she said. “Someone who doesn’t want to be seen with you and who cancels the prom because of your father’s situation is no stand-up guy. You can do better!”
“Ever since we started upper school I always dreamed of going to the prom with Jay,” I said. “I envisioned him seeing me in my dress for the first time and wondered what he would say and how he would look at me. I could see us dancing practically every dance. Now that’s not going to happen.”
“But you are going to the prom!”
“Mom. How can I?”
“You are going to have a date too.”
“Mom. You can’t set me up with anybody.”
“I don’t intend to. Your prom fees are paid and you are going, with your date, who is not Jay.”
She was so emphatic that I couldn’t do anything but laugh. Soon she was laughing, too.
Laughing felt real good. I can’t remember the last time I laughed. Just Mom and me.
I could tell she was thinking the same thing when she put her head atop mine and whispered, “Where have all the years gone, baby?”
I thought of something. I sat up in bed and turned to look at her.
“Mom, did I tell you that Jay’s friends were the ones who spray painted my car? Rick and Jared.”
“No! His friends did that? You are definitely not going to the prom with him.”
Mom put the ice cream carton aside. She became very quiet. I could tell that her mother hen protective instinct had kicked in. She was ready to leave this room and leave this house and go out in public and fight on my behalf, regardless of who saw her. I could tell she was hurt, too. Rick and Jared had been to our house many times over the years.
“Those are the kinds of people he hangs out with? Now you know what his true character is,” she said softly.
15
I settled into an afternoon of shopping with my friends.
This was the first Saturday afternoon I had hung out with them since the scandal broke. I was doing more window-shopping than Callie, Melanie, and Stacie. Things had not changed for them. Callie’s father was CEO of a multi-national corporation. They lived in a sprawling estate on a hill on the outskirts of town. Melanie and Stacie’s mom was president of a big food company. They lived closer to me in a gated golf club community. We had been BFF’s since middle school. We had all moved to Fairfield at the same time and met on the first day of school.
Buying semiprecious s
tone leather bracelets for $170 was no problem for either of us, except I couldn’t do it anymore. I tagged along as they exchanged their phones for newer ones and downloaded the coolest apps onto them.
I tried to tell myself that just being with them was what was important. It was good to hang out with my friends and laugh and talk.
With the lawyers gone from our house I could almost believe that life had returned to normal and the past few weeks had been a dream. Except I still couldn’t spend any money, other than my $100 a week allotment from my savings. If I wanted to buy something, I had to calculate in my mind if this was a necessary expense. Or I would have to think if we might need the money to purchase food for dinner.
I was glad I had all my new clothes from our Chicago trip. I didn’t feel so bad just tagging along with my friends while they shopped.
After shopping in all my favorite mall stores, we stopped for a bite to eat at a gourmet hamburger place and had malts and burgers. My hamburger had Swiss cheese and mushrooms. Stacie’s burger was stuffed with blue cheese. Melanie had the barbeque burger, and Callie’s burger was wrapped in cured hickory smoked bacon.
They talked about their boyfriends and what they were wearing to the prom. I told them about my dress.
“Jay will find a way to take you to the prom,” Callie said. “He hasn’t asked anybody else.”
I didn’t say anything. Even if he did find a way, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go with him. He had added heartbreak to my family concerns when I was so looking forward to going to the prom with him.
It was time I faced certain things. As good as life had been for me in Fairfield, I now knew who my real friends were because of the situation with Dad. Callie, Stacie, and Melanie had been there for me from the beginning and they were still there.
“Jay’s time has come and gone,” I said. “He didn’t step up at the right time, so it’s time I face the fact that we’re over and move on.”
“Jay’s a rat,” Stacie said. “He didn’t have the guts to stand up to his parents on your behalf.”
The People in the Park Page 6
